Driverless cars run by Raspberry Pi
Could the future of driverless cars be shaped by Raspberry Pi? For undergraduate researchers at the University of Cambridge, the answer is a resounding yes!
So long, traffic!
By using Raspberry Pis and onboard sensors to program scale-model versions of commercially available cars, undergraduate researchers have built a fleet of driverless cars that ‘talk to each other’. They did this because they are studying how driverless technology can help reduce traffic incidents on our roads.
The researchers investigated how a car stalled on a multi-lane track affects the buildup of traffic, and how communication between driverless cars can prevent these buildups.
When the cars acted independently of each other, a stalled car caused other vehicles in the same lane to slow or stop in order to merge into the adjacent lane. This soon led to queues forming along the track. But when the cars communicated via Raspberry Pis, they could tell each other about obstacles on the track, and this allowed cars to shift lanes with the cooperation of other road users.
The researchers recently presented their paper on the subject at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2019) in Montréal, Canada. You can find links to their results, plus more information, on the University of Cambridge blog.
10 comments
Niels
I love this, much nicer and more fun to look at than computer animations. Only a bit more complicated :)
Paul
If drivers were more cooperative rather than combative, then total throughput of the roads would also be much improved.
P.H.J. Sibbing
They call that anticipation. That is why and how Queue’s develop. Drivers do not look far enough ahead and do not know their speed in relation to the rest of the flow.
Paul
At first I thought that the little suction cup dart ‘things’ on the hood and roof were some kind of aerial, but on further thought I have concluded they must just be used for identification when filming.
Paul
This research indicates that once driverless cars become more common, aggressive human driving may be rewarded as AI systems move out of the way to let you through. Or will AI not always be submissive?
Alan
We’re going to need a new robot road rage law: Headline – “Four Driverless Cars Boxed In A Driver *They* Deemed Aggressive”
Jason
What a fantastic demonstration.
William Qian
Ha! I suspect an accident was going to happen before the video was cut.
Supra
The PiHut doesn’t sell 4GB ram. Where can I get 4 gb ram rpi4?
RobE
If you are prepared for the import hit then canakit will send the 4GB Pi4 kit